


Indispensable

by Icypeach



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Delirium, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Langst, M/M, Poisoning, and it only happens because no one believes him, and keith freaks out, klance, klangst, lance get's poisioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-02
Updated: 2017-05-02
Packaged: 2018-10-26 20:25:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10794153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icypeach/pseuds/Icypeach
Summary: Lance is self sacrificial in nature it was inevitable that he'd be poisoned in place of someone.((AKA: Lance has interesting tactics to get people to believe him.))





	Indispensable

Lance came up beside Keith, “Something is off about this, I don’t trust them.”

The red paladin turned to him with a cocked eyebrow, bringing his hand up to give Lance a pat on the shoulder, “You gotta trust Shiro more. He’s talked to the king a thousand times over, if something was ‘off’ we wouldn’t be here.”

 

 

Lance bit his lip hard, “Okay I know I know, but you know that feeling when something is about to go horribly wrong?”

“I’m aware.”

“Well I have it, likebad”

“You said the same thing this morning.”

“First of all, My shampoo went missing so I was right,” Lance pressed on, ignoring the amused tilt of his teammates mouth, “Seriously, I’m telling you-” Keith abruptly shushed him as the King rose to give his toast.

The entire room turned, glasses raised high in the air. Lance eyed around the room, focusing on the biggest targets, Coran and Allura.

The Paladins had been invited to a grand ball, hosted by the royal family of a distant planet, that they had long formed relations and alliance to. The team had been to many parties before, but never in their honor.

“…And too many more years together!” the king finished, everyone followed suit as he raised his sparkling glass to his lips and that’s when Lance’s eyes watched as the guard next to him stared intently at Allura.

“Allura don’t drink that!” Lance couldn’t help himself, the words were tumbling from his mouth before he could stop them.

An entire ballroom full of aliens and his teammates all turned at the same time, but Lance was too busy crossing the room and snatching the drink away from Allura-

“What is the meaning of this!?” The king bellowed angrily, his people responding to their leaders outrage with a flurry of comments and murmurs and taunts.

Shiro’s arm clamped down on his shoulder causing Lance to jolt. His face said it all.

“Lance-” 

“I know, I know Shiro, but” he pointed his free hand at the guard, who had casually turned back to his sideways attention, facing the large spiky throne, where the king sat. “He was watching Allura drink! I think her cup is poisoned-

Allura pushed through the two of them to face the king, “I apologize, on behalf of this paladin,” she whipped her head around to shoot Lance a quick glare, “I’m sure he is just confused.”

Lance is big enough to admit it stung, Hearing them dismiss him so quickly. He didn’t blame them, not really. This was an important ball and the relations formed with the king were strong and long standing. Never had they been mistreated by these people.

Allura tried for the cup in his hand, but he pulled it out of her reach with a step back. 

“Lance, give me my cup.” 

“No I’m sorry but no, You have to listen to me-”

The king stood, “This is absolutely outrageous! You come to my palace, my kingdom, and accuse my guards of attempted murder?”

“Your majesty-” Lance started, but was quickly cut off by Shiro,

“That’s enough, I’m sorry for this display, I will have Lance escorted back, hopefully this will not affect our alliance with your planet.” The King made a noise in the back of his throat, taking a seat back down on his throne, a heavy sigh in his breath.

“I suppose not, It’s not proper to blame many for the actions of few.

Lance was angry now, Shiro tried to take the cup away, but once again he stepped out of reach, bumping into Pidge, who had made her way over as well, he put a hand on his back.

Lance looked over the crowd and locked eyes with Keith across the room, who had said nothing.

Of course he trusted Shiro and Allura over him, it was silly for Lance to think otherwise. He let out a short huff of laughter, “No.” Lance said firmly, looking at Keith the entire time he spoke. He hated admitting that it was deeply amusing to watch Keith’s eyes slowly get wider. “I know he tried to poison you, Allura-”

“Lance.” Shiro tried again, Lance turned to him, holding the chalice up, he addressed the court.

“If you won’t believe me, I’ll just have to prove it.”

“Wait-!” Keith called as Lance pressed the cup to his lips, and took a long drawn sip of the purple liquid. The entire room went silent. The drink dried his mouth out, but nunville always did that.

Lance held the cup in shaking fingers, close to his chest, he knew damn well what he was doing, but there were no other option. That didn’t make it any less stupid. Wasn’t Keith supposed to be the reckless crazy one?

There was a tic of silence.

Really.

two.

Stupid.

Three.

But if it saved Allura, yes that would be worth it. The team would recover from the loss of him, Allura however, no way. The entire room seemed to breath outwardly in relief, after the few seconds of nothing, people begun to murmur once more. Shiro’s eyebrows dipped in frustration.

“Okay Lance! Are you satisfied now?”

Lance didn’t know what to say, was he wrong after all? Honestly he’d prefer to be wrong, and not get poisoned but as he opened his mouth to answer, his entire throat seized up, he choked on something foamy.

Shiro pulls on the back of his shirt, to drag him back to the castle and the entire room fell, as did the chalice in his hand which smashed to pieces on the palace flooring, purple liquid mixed with poison exploding with it. His vision goes black.

He fades back in only seconds later on the floor, to Keith shouting his name, kneeling next to him. Lance’s body is on fire, he claws at his throat, feels hands holding them back, he tries to speak again but nothing comes from his mouth but spurts of foam and strangled choking sounds. His limbs fell heavy, limp and he suddenly can’t move.

Keith’s face blurs above him, absolutely panicked, then rage, and Shiro is replaced as Keith jumps to his feet and begins to scream at the king. Lance can faintly see Hunk and pidge holding him back, from the corner of his eye.

The bones behind his burning skin, feel like their melting, and when Shiro lifts him off the floor his body protest, pins and needles shooting painfully through his veins, as if his entire body is an asleep foot. He grips pitifully at Shiro’s chest, in an attempt to have him understand, that it hurts being moved like this and he can’t breath. He doesn’t even try to stop the flow of tears that come, he feels himself fading, 

Then he feels nothing but the drag of unconsciousness.

 

* * * 

 

Lance jerks in Shiro's arms, purple foam flowing from his mouth in a steady stream, his eyes are wide desperate as he pants and gasps and manages to get no air in his lungs. 

“Hey!” Shiro's ears are ringing, but he can still faintly hear the sound of Keith screaming at the king, at the guards, he'd be at their throats, bayard pulled to full length, if it weren't for Hunk and Pidge holding him back desperately. Allura stands, hands over her mouth, too shocked to do anything and Shiro knows that she's guilty, because he feels it too. Clenching around his throat like a vice, hodling him in place as he calls Lance name- 

“Shiro, we have to get him back to the castle right now.” Coran is telling him, his voice is collected, but his face is strained with worry, a beat of sweat falls down the side of his face and melts into his mustache. Shiro nods numbly. 

“O-Okay!” 

when he lift's Lance, the boy lets out a horrible cracked scream but Shiro lifts him anyway and apologizes in his head, he'll give a proper one later. Coran leads him by the arm through the crowd of onlookers too shocked, or confused to do anything but stare as they go. Lance grips weakly at his chest,

“Hold on hold on n-not much further.” Shiro shushes. 

 

* * *

“Hurry set him down on that table!” Coran yells, frantically speeding over to the cabinets in the medical bay, Shiro does what he is told, only faintly aware that Keith had joined them somewhere along the way. 

By the time they made it there Lance had been reduced to quiet shallow breaths and dazed eyes, that don't seem to be looking anywhere particular. A sheen of sweat covers his entire body, sticking as Coran pulls the armor and then black suit off of his heaving chest. 

“Shiro- hold this!” Coran holds his hand out for Keith to take a big strange medical object, and Shiro does, numbly. 

Keith pushes his way next to Lance's bed, hands clenching tightly to the side as he turns his head towards Coran“Is he- Coran is he going to be okay?!” Coran doesn't answer.

Instead he swaps a part of Lance's chest with a strange chemical, that causes Lance to wince and then jams the butt end of a needle through the boys chest. 

Lance let's out a horrible scream, his entire body lifting in an arch as Coran pulls the sharp object back out. 

Keith probably would of lunged at Coran if Shiro hadn't acted fast and quickly wrapped his metal arm around his brother's gasping frame.

“What the hell!?-” but then Lance takes a deep shuddering breath, and then another and another, he writhes on the table, holding his arm around his bare chest- Coran holds him to keep him from falling off the table.

“Easy there, it's okay Lance you'll be okay.” then he presses the back of his hand to the boys forehead, pushing away strands of hair. 

“W-what the hell did you just do.” Keith manages to get out. Coran takes a hand down his face, wiping sweat from his face. 

“I injected him with a counter toxin, it was to clear his airways-” 

“Is he alright now.” Shiro doesn't mean to cut him off.

Coran grimaces, “No. But he will be, Shrio you should go back to Allura, make sure she and the others are alright, I don't believe that the king was behind this, but someone was. Please keep them safe. Bring them back here and then we can figure it out.” Shiro nods Coran turns towards Keith, who wiggles from Shiro's grip, and stares down at Lance, wanting to touch him but being too afraid to.

“I'll be back.” Shiro says firmly, and turns and sprints back towards the kingdom. 

“Keith.” The red paladin snaps his head up, “I'm not sure how high a humans' temperature is supposed to be will you feel his forehead for me.” Keith swallows, he feels like he might throw up all over the medical bay floor, his heart is pounding in his ears as he reaches down to touch Lance's sweaty forehead. 

The heat pooling from it makes him recoil immediately. “No- no that's way too high.” 

“Quiznack I was afraid so.” Coran goes to dig around in the cabinets once more, Leaving Keith nothing to do but grip Lance's hand firmly, wipe away the crusted foam from his lip with a cloth and regret not trusting him earlier. The blue paladin's features are all slack now, his eyes just barely open as he stares at Keith, and Keith's not sure if he's actually looking at him, or out at something over Keith's shoulder. 

“'lura.” He slurs, and Keith's heart could of exploded right there, even in the state he was in he was worried about Allura. After allura (and everyone else) dismissed his claims. 

“She's fine.” Keith tells him, pushing back a clump of hair, “Lance she's okay everyone's okay but you.” 

Lance seems to consider the information for a moment, eyebrows pinched, causing a crinkle to form between them. Keith wants nothing more than to lean down and kiss it away. 

 

Shiro comes back, with the rest of the crew later after negotiations and the guard that had poisoned allura turned out to be a spy for the galra empire. He was now in prison, and would soon be exiled for his crimes. 

Keith hears this only through Shiro, as he refuses to leave the medical bay for even a moment. 

Lance is sleeping, knocked unconscious by the myriad of drugs in his system, he wouldn't be awake for hours but still Keith stays. 

Everyone feels guilty. 

“It was an important negotiation. We had no reason to trust our allies, but If one of us feels suspicious it needs to be taken seriously.” is the jist of what Shiro tells everyone. Keith can tell that he feels terrible. He's a mess of tight words and grim face. Keith will talk to him later, he'll talk to everyone later but Lance was his top priority. 

He sleeps in the bed next to the blue paladin's and it takes him far too long to go to sleep, watching Lance's sheet covered chest rise and fall, afraid that if he turned away from him it would cease movement all together. 

He wakes up, not sure why but a moment later, Lance thrashes where he lay, and Keith is up and out of bed and across the room in a matter of seconds. 

“N-no please listen!-” Lance pants, face twisted in sheer agony. 

“Lance!” Keith grips his wrists with both hands, and considers straddling him when Lance kicks. “Hey! wake up it's just a dream! You're okay!” 

“You- you don't- I can't – I”

“Lance!” 

“PLEASE!” 

“Lance!”

Lance comes to with a sharp gasp and a serious of horribly congested sounding coughs. Keith holds him steady as he basically hacks both his lungs out, then droops, completely exhausted against Keith's standing form. So that half his body hangs over the floor while the other still sits curled against the white sheets. 

“H-hey, can you hear me?” it takes a few moments for him to look up, and at Keith's frantic words and Keith sucks in a sharp breath at the sight of him. His eyes are bloodshot, puffy and tracks of tears roll down either side of his face, staining his skin, something that only happens after someone's been crying and crying for hours and Keith can't bare to imagine Lance crying silently through his nightmares, while Keith himself slept soundly. 

“Keith-” Lance's voice sounds awful, like someone had put his voice box through a wood chipper. He shudders at the thought of what it must feel like. “A-Allura is she. She's poisoned, oh god it's my fault.”

“What? No Lance she's fine.” 

“I didn't s-stop, I-I tried to.” A sob wracks his body, as he doubles over himself. 

Keith presses his hands to either side of Lance's face, his fever is back, his skin horribly dry and his lips chapped so bad they're bleeding. Keith swallows thickly, he must be delirious.

“Lance listen to me-”

“Im sorry.” he moans, shaking his head in Keith's lose grip, “I don't d-deserve- y-no one trusts me.” he reaches up and grips Keith's wrists limply, “Keith- Im sorry im so s-sorry.” 

“Lance.” Keith says firmly, feeling tears well in his own eyes, “Allura is safe you saved her!” Lance shakes his head again, 

“N-No I ruined everything. T-the king is h-he's.” Keith presses a hand over Lance's mouth to stop him from finishing. His eyes go wide. 

“Lance I promise you didn't. You saved Allura, one of the guards did it,” Keith's voice cracks involuntarily, “and you stopped it but you- you got yourself poisoned which is why you don't remember.” 

Lance stares at him, completely bewildered, but he seems to register what Keith says. “...really?” 

“Yes. It's our fault for not listening to you, you saved her by drinking from her cup to show everyone it was poisoned.” Lance scrunches his brows together, his big blue eyes are rimmed with tears, and his lip quivers. Keith hates how even now, puffy face and bright eyed, messy haired and tear stained, Keith can't help but think about how beautiful he is. 

“that sounds like something y-you would d-do.” he says, it's a joke, through all the delirium and crying. Keith knows then that Lance is going to be alright, he laughs out loud, even though the jab is towards him and hugs the brunette tightly. After a while, Lance's breaths even out and Keith lays him back down. He grabs a cool wet washcloth and presses it over the blue paladins forehead, smiling when Lance sighs in relief.

Keith is completely content on turning back to his own place in the bed next to him, when Lance suddenly grips the bottom of his t-shirt. “will you sleep here.” He croaks and Keith doesn't answer, instead he just crawls into bed next to him, taking him in his arms, so that Lance's head is pressed comfortably into his chest, Keith adjusts the rag to a better position, not caring that he can feel some of the wetness soak through his shirt, And holds Lance until he falls the rest of the way into sleep. 

 

The next morning is filled with relieved cries and apologizes and plenty of laughs as Lance is much better, not fully but lucid and able to sit up and eat with the other paladins. Although he doesn't mention the night before Keith catches him sparing a few too many gLances in his direction, related or not, Keith is just relieved that Lance is okay and decides to not bring it up.


End file.
